Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC Trims Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC lessened its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,291 shares of the company’s stock after selling 270 shares during the quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $470,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 370.1% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 496 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 430.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 613.0% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the period. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, April 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.17.

Kroger Trading Up 0.8 %

Kroger stock opened at $55.24 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The firm has a market cap of $39.87 billion, a PE ratio of 18.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $55.12 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $48.75. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total value of $1,693,450.98. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 105,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,894,582.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total value of $1,693,450.98. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 105,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,894,582.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. Corporate insiders own 1.38% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Company Profile

The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.